The House of Bread is Not Forsaken

Have you ever read the stories of great men and women of the faith and thought, “I wish I had faith like that!”?

A couple of years ago, I read the story of George Müeller to my boys and it deeply affected me. Müeller was a man of great faith who saw God move in amazing ways because he approached every situation of “not enough” as an opportunity for God to show Himself faithful. He didn’t panic, or allow worry to overtake him. He simply went to his knees and told his Father what the needs were. Then he got back up and went about his day trusting that the Lord would provide. And He ALWAYS DID! I remember coming to the end of the book and thinking how I wished I had faith like that. Well, recently, I have been put in a position to practice having faith in God’s provision.

If we look back through Scripture or read stories of great men and women of faith, we see an abundance of miraculous provision. Of how God poured water from a rock in the desert and dropped manna from the sky. Of how He fed more than 5,000 people from a meager lunch and supplied tax money in the mouth of a fish. We serve the same God today as they did yesterday, so why don’t we see these things happening in our lives? Perhaps it is because we have embraced the lies of our culture – that our provision, destiny, and success, relies entirely on us. It leaves no room for God to move.

There is no room for the Giver of daily bread when we insist on baking our own loaves.

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Yes, we should still work diligently and be good stewards with all that we have been entrusted, living generously, but if we aren’t careful the idea that we are our own masters can creep into our lives as Christ followers. And rather than trust God to do what sometimes seems impossible, rather than wait on Him in the dry seasons – clinging to His Word and growing in faith, rather place our future in His hands, we take the road to Moab and strive to do it all alone. We dive deeper into debt, or work ourselves to exhaustion, or sacrifice peace on the altar of “more”.

Trusting God for my needs is not something that comes easily to me. Though I know that God is Good, that He is Faithful and loves me, I’ve always struggled with trusting Him to meet my physical needs. Growing up, things were always a struggle financially and I carried that fear of not enough into adulthood. I’ve struggled with asking for daily bread. Feeling like the widow of Zarephath, out gathering sticks for her cooking fire and knowing that her oil and flour were almost gone. Focused on the little, instead of keeping my eyes on the God of Abundance.

In the last month, my family went through a situation that required me to trust in the Lord for His provision. I needed to look to Jehovah Jireh to provide for us. Because the circumstances were screaming something different. As I was once again wrestling with the anxiety of crunching numbers and figuring out how to make everything work, my thoughts turned to the book of Ruth.

In the very first few verses of Ruth chapter 1 we are introduced to Elimelech and his family, who lived in the city of Bethlehem. Bethlehem – meaning house of bread in Hebrew. The very place that would one day cradle the Bread of Life and the Source of all sustenance.

Unfortunately, there was a famine in the land and bread was not abundant in Bethlehem. The land promised to be flowing with milk and honey was running dry. And like so many of us do when we are in our own seasons of drought, Elimelech took on the role of provider, rather than rely on the God of Jacob. He turned his gaze to the land of Moab, and turned aside to the green pastures of an enemy land to dwell there. He placed his trust in something he could see, something that he could do, rather than trust in the God Who had promised to be faithful to His people. That decision came with great cost and years later, his wife Naomi would return to Bethlehem, bereft of her husband and two sons, her heart bitter and broken. But in her return, the Lord provided; she was not alone. She was accompanied by her daughter in law and fellow widow, Ruth.

Ruth – a foreigner who chose to leave her homeland of plenty, her comfort, her family and all that was familiar – chose to take an opposite path than the one Elimelech took. She chose to rely on the God of Israel that she had come to love and to throw herself on His mercy. And God did not disappoint. He provided for her and Naomi in some pretty spectacular ways because of her faithfulness, even going so far as to include her in the line of David, from whom the Bread of Life would come.

Reflecting on this story left me challenged. Especially, since God poured out abundance again this last month. We chose to put our trust in Him, to trust in His Goodness, and friend – HE SHOWED UP! He provided in ways that I didn’t see coming and far beyond my expectations. This recent “drought” revealed God’s love for us in a way we might have missed, if we hadn’t chosen to wait in it and trust Him.

We live in a culture obsessed with self sufficiency and depending on our own strength, our income. With trusting in our carefully prepared plans and making sure we are following all the steps to ensure that our needs are provided for.

How often do we look to the storehouses of Moab to supply our needs, rather than abide in the house of Bread?

But what if we were to change our perspective? What if instead of despairing and losing hope or striving to be our own saviours we were to view the droughts and the trials that come as opportunities for God to reveal Himself? Too often we seek the security of a full storehouse, when what we need is daily bread. Manna received from our Father’s Hand sufficient for the moment.

I don’t know if King David ever knew his great grandmother Ruth, if he ever sat at her knee and heard her share the stories of God’s Provision and Faithfulness, but I can’t help but wonder if the words that he penned in Ps 37:25 were echoes of her faith passed down through generations.

Maybe you find yourself in a drought right now. Maybe your circumstances are screaming lack and anxiety is pressing in hard. Maybe, like Elimelech, you are desperately looking to Moab, trying to find a solution that may take you somewhere you shouldn’t go. I want to encourage you to be still for a moment and let God be God. The house of bread is not forsaken! The Lord can and will do what He has promised! Hold tight to Him. Dive deep into His Word. Seek His face and trust in Him. And as He has done for countless others before us, He will faithfully pour out His Abundance!

I leave you today with these wise words from George Müeller and a prayer – May you discover Jehovah Jireh to be all that He says He is as you place your trust in Him.

Until next time…